This invention relates to an apparatus of the type which applies patches of hook or loop fastener tape to a substrate. Such apparatuses have been developed to apply varying lengths of adhesive backed fastener tapes to a variety of substrates. For example, apparatuses are known which dispense fibrous tapes having a pressure-sensitive adhesive coated on the back thereof for application to a substrate. However, some substrate surfaces will not retain pressure-sensitive adhesive coated fastener tapes. For example, vinyl covered loose leaf notebook binders are in many cases not suitable substrates because plasticizers present in the vinyl covering attack the adhesive and cause it eventually to lose its adhesive properties.
Apparatuses for applying fibrous tapes having heat activatable adhesive coatings are also known. For example, Captain et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,597, disclose a heating apparatus utilizing a resistance heating element interposed between a substrate and a fibrous tape to be applied to a substrate. Hudalla et al, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,019,948 and 4,120,718, teach an applicator for a tape coated with a heat-activatable adhesive which utilizes a wire bristle brush-type heating element to activate the adhesive. However, there are problems in the use of radiant or convective heating elements to apply fibrous tapes. The tapes themselves, as well as the substrates, may be sensitive to excessive heat, the evenness of heating is difficult to control, and the heating process is relatively slow (i.e., requires several seconds).
More recently, ultrasonic energy has been utilized to heat seal seams in fabric tapes containing hook and eye fasteners. For example, Hashmall, U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,937, and Clarke et al, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,045,271 and 4,256,529 all disclose apparatuses which use ultrasonic welding techniques to heat seal a seam along a continuous web of fabric tape to secure hook and eye fasteners. However, those techniques are limited to heat sealing a portion of a substrate to itself to secure a hook or fastening element therein.
Accordingly, the need still exists in the art for an apparatus which can automatically and rapidly secure patches of hook or loop fastener tape to a substrate without damaging the patch or the substrate due to excessive or uneven application of heat.